Shinobi: Heart Under Blade Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade Blu-ray Movie Review

A classic ninja tale slashes it's way onto Blu-ray!

Reviewed by Dustin Somner February 1, 2009

First off, this is not a movie based on the Shinobi video game (so take a deep breath and relish in the fact that Uwe Boll had absolutely zero involvement in this film).

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade is based on The Kouga Ninja Scrolls, the first in a long series of Ninja-based novels written by Futaro Yamada. Although the film is not a direct retelling of the novel, it does utilize the main plot as the basis for this condensed version of the story.

The title sequence was downright cool.

Set in 1614, the film begins with an explanation of a peace agreement that has been in place between the Kouga and Iga ninja clans. For years, the Shinobi warriors of these two rival clans have maintained a tense relationship under the rule of the Shogun. Fearing his rule could be jeopardized by the existence of the two Shinobi clans and their unique fighting abilities, the Shogun sets in motion a plan to break the truce, and eliminate both clans forever.

Gennosuke of the Kouga clan, and Oboro of the Iga clan fall in love during the period of peace, but are unable to allow their feelings to be known within their clan (since there is still ongoing hatred despite the truce). As the next in the line of succession for both clans, Gennosuke and Oboro are thrust into the middle of the Shogun’s devious plan. In addition to 4 other members of each clan, these two lovers must meet on the battlefield and fight to the death for the Shogun’s favor. Will love conquer all, or will the two clans meet their demise?

Comparisons have been made to Romeo and Juliet (and rightfully so), but Shinobi doesn’t pack the emotional punch of Shakespeare’s masterpiece. Elements of the original novel are far more tragic than what we see in this film, which is somewhat understandable given the runtime parameters the writers had to work within. For example, the romantic relationship between Gennosuke and Oboro isn’t properly developed prior to delving into the tragic portion of the plot, which makes it difficult to fully sympathize with the characters. I’m not suggesting the film needed a longer runtime, but the writers could have utilized the time given to better establish the forbidden relationship at the center of this story.

From a technical standpoint, Shinobi is good but not great. The CGI effects are thankfully used sparingly, since they aren’t really up to snuff when held next to most Hollywood productions. The cinematography is excellent, but I did notice one scene where it appeared characters were standing in front of a projected screen (look for the waterfall early in the film). The choreography of the fight scenes showed a wonderful level of creativity, and I appreciated the variety of fighting styles/weapons that were utilized.

I truly enjoyed Shinobi, and plan to revisit it again in the near future. The action is engaging, the plot is entertaining, and the acting is uniformly solid. If anything, this is an excellent film to watch on a date (provided you like foreign films), since it strikes a nice balance between action and romance. Surprisingly, the ninja genre has historically been left alone by American studios. Watching a film like Shinobi simply reminds me how badly I would like to see a ninja film produced with a healthy budget.

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Funimation has delivered a decent but not remarkable 1080P transfer using the AVC codec. I had high hopes that the transfer would be exceptional and really showcase the capabilities of a high-definition display. We haven't seen a large number of live-action Japanese films hit the Blu-ray format, so Shinobi would have been a great opportunity to gain some traction in the American market. I have no doubt this transfer will eclipse the prior DVD version, but it demonstrated too many inconsistencies to earn top marks for video quality next to other hi-definition releases.

Fortunately, the problematic elements of the transfer are relegated to the occasional nighttime sequences. During these scenes, black levels topped out at dark grey, shadow details are lost, and there appeared to be a fine layer of digital noise over the entire screen. I've taken some screenshots as an example, so hopefully you can see the problems I'm referring to. On the other hand, the transfer was truly a sight to behold during nearly all of the daytime sequences. Detail was razor sharp, with an almost 3 dimensional depth to the picture. Colors were striking, contrast was excellent, and I did not detect any compression artifacts. We really are talking demo material, as long as you are sure to turn off the film prior to a nighttime scene. I should point out that the somewhat problematic scenes may not be a result of the transfer, and may be apparent in the source print itself. The director admittedly used a degree of color correction throughout the film (mentioned in one of the supplements), so it is possible that the filters and/or editing resulted in some of the deficiencies on display.

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I certainly was not disappointed in the audio on this disc. In an impressive move, we are given a 6.1 TrueHD track in the native language of Japanese, and a 5.1 TrueHD English dubbed track. Both audio tracks are excellent, but I would give the edge to the Japanese track. Non-dialogue volume levels are identical on both tracks, and surround levels demonstrate appropriate balance. Subtle sound effects such as the unsheathing of a sword, or the rustle of fabric make you feel as though you are right there participating in the scene. Your sub won't exactly get a workout, but this is a refined film, and I wasn't expecting a bombastic, explosion-laden track (though there are a couple of nice explosions). In an A/B comparison of both tracks, I found the dialogue a little overpowering on the English version. One can't really expect a dub to be as impressive as the original track, since the budget for a dub is typically more restrictive than the original studio recording, and I'm just pleased that Funimation spent the time and money to include an English dub (and in TrueHD).

Subtitles are unobtrusively rendered in white (thank goodness we seem to be done with the days of yellow subtitles), and are mostly relegated to the black bar at the bottom of your 16:9 screen.

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The supplements provided on this disc are presented in 480P, with 2-channel Dolby Digital audio.

VFX Behind the Scenes: Running just over 41 minutes, this feature begins with a 10 minute video montage showing the multiple layers of CG work that encompass the final product. The rest of the feature is a presentation by Kazuhiko Mino, the 3DCG Sequence Supervisor/Digital Double Supervisor, who discusses the process of completing CG-enhanced scenes.

Storyboard Collection: At 38 minutes in length, I don't think many people will want to watch this entire feature. The screen is split up to show storyboards next to the finished film. I watched about 5 minutes, but quickly lost interest.

Director Storyboard Collection: Similar to the prior feature, this supplement adds a section with director's notes next to the final film and original storyboards (the notes are in Japanese, which makes it difficult to decipher).

Weapon Introduction: Presenting an explanation of the weapons used by characters in the film, this 8 minute feature is far too short. The host of this supplement describes the connection between the personalities of the characters and their weapons of choice, while also providing background on the mythology behind the design of ninja weapons.

Shinobi Art: The architect and crew behind the building of the Manjidan Cliffside Village are interviewed throughout the building of the set. This feature is short (9 minutes), but still worth watching if you have the time to spare.

Shinobi Action: One section of the castle fight sequence is chronicled as the crew goes through take after take to get the perfect shot (5 minutes).

Trailers: In case your interested, there are 8 trailers for Shinobi, and 8 trailers for other films or anime series.

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's a lot to like about this film. Could Shinobi have been better? Certainly. But it is still an entertaining retelling of an excellent story. The computer rendered special effects don't always measure up, but that's to be expected in a film with a modest 40-million dollar budget. Although there are occasional video deficiencies, the Blu-ray is still impressive, and I have zero reservations about recommending it as a purchase. Whether your cup of tea is period drama, foreign cinema, anime, action flick, or even chopsocky fair, you'll find something to like here.